There’s a myth that silk is delicate and that it must always be dry cleaned. Um. No.

Silk is the stuff of vintage parachutes. Would you drift from the sky under something delicate?

Some commercially dyed silk does bleed a lot of color when washed. Isn’t that part of the charm? Isn’t the resulting fabric surprisingly different? Don’t you want streaking and mottling on your fabric? I sure do!

I’m sorting through my small pile of scrap fabrics, looking for murky shades of violet, aubergine, teal and forest green. I shall wash every one of them to bring out their true (im)perfection.

Isn’t the silk gazaar wondrous? One layer is murky and translucent, a perfect veil. Two or three layers become opaque, secretive. This fabric demands to be pulled and tucked into layers and washes of color.